An investigation, involving the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), points to two obstacles that seem to invalidate the theoretical curve of the engine to travel faster than light, more than three hundred thousand kilometers per second. This hypothesis is based on the motion of spacetime itself, in principle, can shrink and expand without limit speed. The conclusions of the study are published in the journal Physical Review D.
Paradoxically, the motor theory of curvature has its origin in fiction: it is the mechanism that allows the characters in the science fiction series Star Trek plowing through space faster than light, or speed superluminares by distortion spacetime.
His leap into the scientific field was in 1994, the year in which the Mexican physicist Miguel Alcubierre published a paper in the journal Classical and Quantum Gravity entitled "The engine of curvature hyper travel within general relativity." This work exploits the flexibility of the geometry of spacetime, which is curved in the presence of matter in the same way as, for example, a ball placed on a sheet bend the fabric stretched around it. In the universe, more massive objects produce more pronounced curves. On this basis, Alcubierre devised a means of transport in a bubble with walls composed of exotic matter (a type of still hypothetical matter has repulsive gravitational properties) that cause contraction of spacetime in the bow and stern dilation similar to a wave at sea. CSIC
investigator Carlos Barceló, the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia in Granada, said: "A ship inside the bubble to reach its destination without leaving the local distortion of spacetime, like a surfer located on the crest does not exercise a proper motion but reaches the edge thanks to the wave. " According to the authors, this hypothesis showed weaknesses mathematics since its publication, but not discarded. However, they explain, there is a point that was not provided so far and that can affect the movement of the bubble: What They Do quantum fluctuations to the curvatures.
According to estimates of the work, if the bubble moves faster than the speed of light, the crew will see the front and back walls respectively behave like a black and a white horizon, similar to those with black holes . Thus, if the spacecraft astronaut looks back not see anything, a black horizon, as it is traveling faster than light and can catch any signal, whereas the bow of the ship will receive all signals, and therefore we speak of white horizon. Two
problematic horizons
The authors calculated how the quantum fluctuations behave in both horizons when the bubble approaches the barrier of light, and found two effects that prevent the trip. In both cases, the pitfall is in the vacuum of the universe. According to quantum theory, energy in this state is not equal to zero, but constantly born and annihilate pairs of particles so fast that it is impossible to detect its presence, and therefore are called virtual particles. However, under certain conditions, such as a strong distortion of spacetime, these particles become real. This is what happens in both horizons bubble designed by Alcubierre, with negative consequences.
black on the horizon, the astronaut would face the Hawking radiation, enunciated by Stephen Hawking in 1974. It is a known effect in black holes due to the creation and destruction of pairs of particles: the enormous black hole's gravitational field can break the pair and absorb particles, while the other escapes. This produces a glow that comes from the horizon and, in the case of the bubble depends on the thickness of the wall: a thin wall, more readily available in theory, present very high temperatures that could destroy the ship to travel in interior.
But, even if they could build walls so thick that the temperature produced by the Hawking radiation is not an obstacle, the target horizon is an insurmountable obstacle, according to research. The contraction of spacetime in front breaking also produce pairs of particles, with the difference that would pile up on the wall. "This phenomenon would cause an exponential growth of uncontrollable energy and construction becomes inconsistent because it tends to destroy itself," said Barceló. "Either we invent a way to offset that energy with an inverse energy, which seems unlikely, or simply admit that we can not overcome the speed light for reasonable periods of time, "adds the researcher, CSIC.
Another option is to not cross the light barrier, so that there were no horizons and Hawking radiation or high temperatures. As the authors note at the end of the article, "maybe go to 99% of the speed of light is not so bad after all."
Source: CSIC
Paradoxically, the motor theory of curvature has its origin in fiction: it is the mechanism that allows the characters in the science fiction series Star Trek plowing through space faster than light, or speed superluminares by distortion spacetime.
His leap into the scientific field was in 1994, the year in which the Mexican physicist Miguel Alcubierre published a paper in the journal Classical and Quantum Gravity entitled "The engine of curvature hyper travel within general relativity." This work exploits the flexibility of the geometry of spacetime, which is curved in the presence of matter in the same way as, for example, a ball placed on a sheet bend the fabric stretched around it. In the universe, more massive objects produce more pronounced curves. On this basis, Alcubierre devised a means of transport in a bubble with walls composed of exotic matter (a type of still hypothetical matter has repulsive gravitational properties) that cause contraction of spacetime in the bow and stern dilation similar to a wave at sea. CSIC
investigator Carlos Barceló, the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia in Granada, said: "A ship inside the bubble to reach its destination without leaving the local distortion of spacetime, like a surfer located on the crest does not exercise a proper motion but reaches the edge thanks to the wave. " According to the authors, this hypothesis showed weaknesses mathematics since its publication, but not discarded. However, they explain, there is a point that was not provided so far and that can affect the movement of the bubble: What They Do quantum fluctuations to the curvatures.
According to estimates of the work, if the bubble moves faster than the speed of light, the crew will see the front and back walls respectively behave like a black and a white horizon, similar to those with black holes . Thus, if the spacecraft astronaut looks back not see anything, a black horizon, as it is traveling faster than light and can catch any signal, whereas the bow of the ship will receive all signals, and therefore we speak of white horizon. Two
problematic horizons
The authors calculated how the quantum fluctuations behave in both horizons when the bubble approaches the barrier of light, and found two effects that prevent the trip. In both cases, the pitfall is in the vacuum of the universe. According to quantum theory, energy in this state is not equal to zero, but constantly born and annihilate pairs of particles so fast that it is impossible to detect its presence, and therefore are called virtual particles. However, under certain conditions, such as a strong distortion of spacetime, these particles become real. This is what happens in both horizons bubble designed by Alcubierre, with negative consequences.
black on the horizon, the astronaut would face the Hawking radiation, enunciated by Stephen Hawking in 1974. It is a known effect in black holes due to the creation and destruction of pairs of particles: the enormous black hole's gravitational field can break the pair and absorb particles, while the other escapes. This produces a glow that comes from the horizon and, in the case of the bubble depends on the thickness of the wall: a thin wall, more readily available in theory, present very high temperatures that could destroy the ship to travel in interior.
But, even if they could build walls so thick that the temperature produced by the Hawking radiation is not an obstacle, the target horizon is an insurmountable obstacle, according to research. The contraction of spacetime in front breaking also produce pairs of particles, with the difference that would pile up on the wall. "This phenomenon would cause an exponential growth of uncontrollable energy and construction becomes inconsistent because it tends to destroy itself," said Barceló. "Either we invent a way to offset that energy with an inverse energy, which seems unlikely, or simply admit that we can not overcome the speed light for reasonable periods of time, "adds the researcher, CSIC.
Another option is to not cross the light barrier, so that there were no horizons and Hawking radiation or high temperatures. As the authors note at the end of the article, "maybe go to 99% of the speed of light is not so bad after all."
Source: CSIC
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